Waterjet cutting

[charle10]

After 10 years at my last job, working my way up to plant manager, I decided to get back into engineering, and 2 month ago moved jobs to a waterjet cutting company.

We can cut pretty much any kind of material from foam, to glass to, hardened tool steel, from thicknesses of .003" to 10". I am posting this here because I thought we (Leading Edge Cutting Solutions) could benefit anyone who wants to do fabrication work, but doesn't have the equipment to layout or cut/drill materials. If you are interested in having us quote something, visit our website http://www.leadingedgecut.com/index.html or private message me.

As I get more settled into the job and start utilizing the machines more I will post some of my projects big and small. So far I cut new lips and replaced them on a few of my Rapala fishing lures that broke.

 

[BFBOB]

Waterjet cutting can be very economical. I had a 36" x 3/4" glass table top cut into a dozen discs 13" and down for telescope mirror blanks. The cost was $150, low enough to keep the discs I wanted for my projects and sell the rest at a decent profit. It was a local company, so shipping didn't enter into it. The time it would have taken me to do the job myself by the tube-saw and grit method would have been prohibitive.

 

[softailgarage]

Thats pretty amazing stuff. About 9 years ago a marble/granite shop moved in next to the store I was running and they had one of those big *** machines. It was pretty cool and set up like a CNC, just program it and let it run, the precision was awesome and it's hard to believe that simple water can be used as a tool.

 

[Engine]

Thats pretty amazing stuff. About 9 years ago a marble/granite shop moved in next to the store I was running and they had one of those big *** machines. It was pretty cool and set up like a CNC, just program it and let it run, the precision was awesome and it's hard to believe that simple water can be used as a tool.

If I'm not mistaken, the high pressure water jet incorporates an abrasive substance that assists in the cutting action in some applications.

 

[dr_clyde]

You can use just high pressure water, but steel and other hard materials use a garnet abrasive in the stream to do the cutting.

 

[charle10]

Engine is correct for some cutting, an abrasive is pulled into the water jet and acts like a wet grinder and erodes the path that the jet moves. We also use just water for material like foam, rubber, or fiber material.

 

[Kevin54]

It has Garnet in with the water as the abrasive used.

 

[malibu101]

I've seen waterjets used for different applications but the coolest thing I saw was...
At a sheetmetal shop they used a waterjet table to cut fiberglass insulation for lining ductwork.
It cut the fiberglass perfectly and the cut edge was only a little damp. I was amazed at how well it cut this and how dry the material stayed.

 

[steel 35]

One of my favorites was having a 10" curf cut into a 1/2" Stainless tube, one side. Asked if they could and they did.

 

[Guster]

I've seen waterjets used for different applications but the coolest thing I saw was...
At a sheetmetal shop they used a waterjet table to cut fiberglass insulation for lining ductwork.
It cut the fiberglass perfectly and the cut edge was only a little damp. I was amazed at how well it cut this and how dry the material stayed.

Saw a similar use on production of rockwool insulation on "How its made". Considered unusual till you realise it is nearly dustfree cutting of product that produces dust that would cause silicosis for all that work there. No need for special filters, ventilation or any dust extraction shrouding around the packaging line. It's fast, accurate and fairly simple form a mechanical standpoint with very little that wears or needs replacing compared to blades or shears etc. and the dust can even be recovered and recycled if needed.

 

[Luck-E1]

Hi all,
I work for a rum production company in the maintenance department, and was asked if I could fabricate a branding iron to produce our logo on the ends of oak barrels. I found a couple places local to me in Hawaii, prices were beyond the budget that we had allocated, and that was only for cutting out the letters and symbols. I plan on welding them to a backing plate and finally attaching the assembly to a long handle. It will be heated by a propane weed burner instead of electric. My one concern is that the ends of the barrels are made of strips of oak and are not a flat surface. Instead of allowing the branding iron to flex and apply equal pressure/heat to each strip of wood, I'll be grinding the high spots with a coarse sanding disc on an angle grinder and finishing with a medium grit disc before the branding takes place. The welding part is easy. My son converted the jpeg image of the logo into a dxf file, as he's in Oregon Institute of Technology and home for the summer. The letters & symbols will be cut from 1/4" thick mild steel. You can see the logo on the Koloa Rum Company facebook page.
Hoping someone can get me an estimate or at least a ball park figure!
Aloha!
John

 

[bsaint]

PM sent.

Thanks!

 

[ADSR]

Hi all,
I work for a rum production company.

ummmm... we need samples of said rum, please

 

[steel 35]

My son converted the jpeg image of the logo into a dxf file,

John

Have your son check when he gets back to school

 

[kkroger]

Hi all,
I work for a rum production company in the maintenance department, and was asked if I could fabricate a branding iron to produce our logo on the ends of oak barrels. I found a couple places local to me in Hawaii, prices were beyond the budget that we had allocated, and that was only for cutting out the letters and symbols. I plan on welding them to a backing plate and finally attaching the assembly to a long handle. It will be heated by a propane weed burner instead of electric. My one concern is that the ends of the barrels are made of strips of oak and are not a flat surface. Instead of allowing the branding iron to flex and apply equal pressure/heat to each strip of wood, I'll be grinding the high spots with a coarse sanding disc on an angle grinder and finishing with a medium grit disc before the branding takes place. The welding part is easy. My son converted the jpeg image of the logo into a dxf file, as he's in Oregon Institute of Technology and home for the summer. The letters & symbols will be cut from 1/4" thick mild steel. You can see the logo on the Koloa Rum Company facebook page.
Hoping someone can get me an estimate or at least a ball park figure!
Aloha!
John

A proper branding iron needs to be forged by a blacksmith....

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

A proper branding iron needs to be forged by a blacksmith....

You sound like my dad!

 

[Luck-E1]

Steel 35,
My son is home now for the summer vacation, and he was able to convert the image to the dxf file for us.
LordDiesel,
I don't know if we have a distributor in Canada yet, we're still growing, and will have our 5 year anniversary next month. Which is why I need to get this branding iron completed, in time for the photo-shoot.
kkroger,
As a Grade-9 Journeyman Welder since '96 and welding full-time from '87 to '03...I'm sure I could join some simple pieces of steel together with minimal effort. If I should encounter any problems, I'm sure there are many folks here that could steer me in the right direction.
Thanks for the input though! Sure wish I could reciprocate by sending a bottle of our finest Dark Rum!